Dec 09
7
Breast Thermography an Alternative to Mammography
A newer technique in screening for breast cancer may soon be taking hold as a preferred method over the often uncomfortable mammogram. It’s called the breast thermography. How it works is it takes thermal image “photos” of your breasts from several different angles and with your body in several different positions to get the different parts of the breasts on the screen.
The thermal images are supposed to be able to detect higher heat areas, which may indicate abnormalities in the breast tissues, and can also detect cancer, instead of actually scanning it via mammography, which has been a subject of debate as well since some say it’s not as accurate on denser breast tissue (which generally means younger breasts).
It is believed by advocates of breast thermography that this technique of scanning the breast tissue can detect abnormalities and precancerous conditions in the tissue years before a typical mammogram can. It does this, they say, by showing where there is more blood flow activity and therefore showing signs of trouble that may lead to cancer years in advance. Even so though, I wonder what a woman could really do about that knowing it, besides try to change her diet and lifestyle habits to be healthier and help prevent the cancer from forming. Nonetheless, this is a very intriguing newer way of detecting breast cancers.
Advocates also prefer the thermography scan over mammography because there is no radiation exposure at all, which in comparison to the mammogram makes it desirable to those who prefer to be “au naturelle”. Sounds like it would be the right option for me then too! I’m actually supposed to schedule a mammogram for myself in the next few weeks, at the suggestion of my doctor. Even though I’m only 35 years old, she believes I should start getting them now because I have a maternal aunt who had aggressive breast cancer and died from it.
However, you should note that there are still die hard doctors out there who do not recommend the thermography over the mammography yet. They say it has not been compared rigorously enough to the mammogram and that it’s not quite ready to really replace anything, although some day it might be ready for the spotlight, there still needs to be research done to prove that it catches cancers just as often.
Whatever your choice might be, it may be a little harder to find thermography than it is to find the traditional screening since it is still fairly new. I know one thing I wouldn’t miss, all that pulling, pressing and compressing – youch!
